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AP: a73c89e5-74d1-4afb-bdd6-9be573376f45
A young Phoenix Coyotes fan is tossed in the air as fans around her cheer on their team as Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, of Finland, stands in front of the goal during the third period of Game 1 in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference semifinal playoff series, Friday, April 27, 2012, in Glendale, Ariz. The Coyotes won 4-3 in overtime. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Phoenix has long lived with the label of being a bandwagon sports town. It's one of the perils of being a relatively new professional sports market and a city known for its melting pot feel and lack of natives.

But if Phoenix sports fans are given a reason to root, by God, they'll root.

And the Phoenix Coyotes are giving fans a reason.

The 'Yotes are getting ready for their first-ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Kings, and captain Shane Doan, who happens to be the longest-tenured athlete in Phoenix, is noticing the difference in the buzz the team is creating.

"I was in the bank yesterday and they had the manager and everybody come out, and I've been to the same bank for ten years," Doan joked. "They all came out and were talking to me and it was cool. They had all followed the game and were all involved."

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that Phoenix is starting to feel like a hockey town, and apparently the team captain is feeling it too.

Finally.

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    3e11even wrote...
    Since 1996
    We've had the FEVER for years.... But it doesn't matter whether you've been a fan for ever, or just figuring out that the Yotes are an amazing group of guys. This team deserves your support! HOCKEY THE HARD WAY! That's right! GO COYOTES!
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